The Federal Government has commissioned a cutting-edge educational and residential facility for visually impaired children in Surulere, Lagos, marking a significant milestone in Nigeria’s push for inclusive development.
The project, housed within the Bethesda Home and School for the Blind, was executed by the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (OSSAP-SDGs).
The facility, described as a national benchmark for inclusive education, features 16 classrooms, dormitories, staff quarters, a library, Braille computer training centre, sound studio, and accessibility-focused designs, including ramps and disability-friendly amenities. It is tailored to foster learning, independence, and dignity for children with visual impairments.
At the commissioning, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on SDGs, Princess Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, highlighted the initiative’s alignment with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and its contributions to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including education, reduced inequality, and sustainable communities. She described the home as “a place of refuge, learning, and dignity,” reaffirming the nation’s pledge to “leave no one behind.”
Orelope-Adefulire also delivered an emotional message to the students, urging them not to be defined by their lack of sight but by the strength of their spirit. She commended the dedication of the Bethesda Home staff and emphasized the project’s symbolism of unity, inclusion, and collective progress.
Speaking on behalf of the Chief of Staff to the President, Lagos State Special Adviser on Housing, Barrister Barakat Odunuga-Bakare, praised the Federal Government’s commitment to equity. She affirmed that continuous support would be extended to the school’s operations and lauded the project as proof of the administration’s dedication to empowering future leaders.
Dr. Oreoluwa Omowunmi Awokoya, Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on SDGs, described the facility as “a sanctuary of vision” built on foresight rather than sight. She emphasized that sustainable development must be rooted in real structures that benefit the most marginalized.
Lagos Commissioner for Youth and Social Development, Mr. Mobolaji Ogunlende, echoed similar sentiments, calling the project a strategic contribution to the state’s development goals. Hon. Sulaimon Bamidele Yusuf, Chairman of Surulere LGA, noted that the facility would transform lives, adding that “this is governance with empathy.”
The Executive Secretary of the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities, Chief Ayuba Burki Gufwan, called the initiative a “game changer” for inclusive education. Former Special Adviser to the Lagos Governor, Mr. Bola Shodipo, described it as a replicable model, emphasizing that inclusion is a right, not a privilege.
Ultimately, the Bethesda Home commissioning represents one of OSSAP-SDGs’ most impactful efforts yet to embed disability inclusion into Nigeria’s development framework, moving the nation closer to achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.